


Shadowmaker

by Vinushuka



Series: One year with Apocalyptica [9]
Category: Apocalyptica
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-04-07
Packaged: 2018-03-20 06:13:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3639804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vinushuka/pseuds/Vinushuka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Besides hard work the making of Apocalyptica's new album Shadowmaker contains also some fun. Perttu arranges a memorable Halloween party for the team and get's surprised himself by Anna. Franky makes friends with Perttu after quitting his relationship with Eicca. Everything would be perfect is only there wasn't a shadow maker called Patrik...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Halloween party

## Halloween party (1)

      ”Good morning everybody. Tonight we are going to have a Halloween party so we will keep this day short”, Eicca announced, when we were sitting at the breakfast table enjoying coffee, toast and yoghurt as usual. “Paavo and Mikko have promised to prepare us a delicious dinner (approving whistles from the audience) but we still need somebody to plan the evening program. Any volunteers?” Eicca asked and turned his grey eyes at me.

      “Well, I can take care of that”, I promised although I didn’t have a clue what the program could be.  Anyways, I was considered in our team as the guy with crazy ideas so I could probably end up with something scary enough for Halloween.

       In the afternoon I headed with Mikko and Paavo to a shopping mall in the outskirts of Nashville. I found there a well-stocked toy store that had a whole department dedicated to Halloween merchandise.  I wasn’t interested in scary mask or skeleton outfits, I was looking for something more subtle. After a long search I happened to lay my eyes on a genuine looking police gear: a uniform with a cap, handcuffs, a nightstick and a real looking toy gun with a holster. Maybe I could arrange a raid and get someone arrested.

       When Mikko and Paavo returned from their shopping tour their carts full of groceries, I had already figured out my plan for the evening. I hadn’t yet decided who would be arrested but it would have to be either Eicca of Franky. I didn’t know Franky well enough to be sure that he would understand my weird sense of humour so I ended up with Eicca. He wouldn’t mind a bit of a horse play. I briefed Mikko and Paavo about my plan insisting that they’d keep it as a secret until the evening.

      I bought of course some Halloween decorations for the house and helped Mikko with laying the dinner table. He seemed to be at a good humour although I had spent the night with Eicca. When nobody was close enough to hear us, I told him that I had talked about our relationship with Eicca and that we had his consent to continue. “I guess he didn’t have any other alternatives”, Mikko stated bluntly and flashed a mischievous smile at me. He definitely had something on his mind for the evening.

      The dinner that Mikko and Paavo had prepared exceeded all our expectations. Franky had probably been involved in the planning of the menu as there were plenty of Mexican influences. When everybody was loosening their belts after a delicious meal, I decided it was time for some serious action. The police gear I had bought was one size and therefore much too large for me, so I decided to use only the cap, handcuffs and the gun with a holster. In addition to that I was wearing only my shorts and heavy boots. I must admit I looked pretty grotesque, like some geeky actor escaped from a porn movie.  My skinny legs and pale skin didn’t even fit the porn movie scenario.

       I had hidden a police siren on the porch and started the show by turning it on. Then I rushed into the living room pointing the audience with my gun. “Okay, everybody freeze and keep your hands on the table” I ordered. “We received a tip that you’re hiding here a crook who’s guilty of composing too vicious music”.  

      The guys tried to look serious but I could see Mikko’s lips twitching, I was probably too hilarious sight for him. He pointed at Eicca: “There’s your man. He’s guilty as hell.”

      “Okay Eicca, consider yourself arrested for composing too vicious music. Do you confess or deny your guilt?" I asked winking my eye at Eicca.

      “I confess”, Eicca admitted sheepishly and held his hands up to surrender. I stepped in front of him and forced his hands behind his back to put the handcuffs on.

      “I will inspect the prisoner outside to make sure he’s not carrying any hidden weapons on him. After that we can have a trial.  You two can decide a proper punishment for the offences he’s guilty of”, I said pointing at Paavo and Mikko.

      After my inspection, which included a hot kiss and caresses of handcuffed Eicca, we returned to the living room where there was a lively discussion going on about suitable punishments. “Okay jury, let’s hear your decision”, I announced. 

       Paavo stood up looking very solemn. “I find the defendant guilty of composing too vicious music. As punishment he must wash the dishes”, he stated and gave a quick glance at the huge pile of pots and pans waiting to be cleaned beside the kitchen sink.

      After him Mikko stood up and cleared his throat. “I too find the defendant guilty of composing too good music. As punishment he must spend the night with Franky, who snores and sings lousy country ballads in his sleep.”

      “I don’t snore”, Franky defended himself although he was clearly pleased of Eicca’s punishment.

      “I’m sleeping next to your room so I know you do both. It’s impossible not to hear that”, Mikko assured his audience.

       Now I knew why Mikko was in such a good mood. He had been plotting something like this all day after he found about my plans. He had hijacked me all to himself by forcing Eicca with Franky. Clever guy!

      “Does Franky really snore?” I asked Mikko who was in the process of stripping me from my cap and holster in his room.

      “A little”, he admitted and pushed his hands into my shorts to caress my behind. I’ve missed your behind and your hairy belly”, he whispered into my ear and bit my earlobe. “Can I fuck you all night?”


	2. The message

## The message (2)

      I woke up early next morning when my cell phone clinked to announce an incoming message. It took a while for me to realize that it was Saturday, the day when Anna would make her pregnancy test. I scurried out of the bed to check the message my heart pounding wildly in my chest. 

      “The test was positive. Congratulations. Love Anna.” I stared at the simple words my hands shaking.

      “The test was positive”, I repeated and sat on the side of Mikko’s bed because my legs felt too weak to stand.

       “What is it? Is something wrong?” I heard Mikko’s alarmed voice behind my back. He took the cell from my shaking hands and read the message. “What test? Why congratulations?” he wondered frowning at the phone.

      “Pregnancy test. I’m going to be a father”, I finally managed to explain.

      “Holy shit, how did you accomplish that? Isn’t Anna too old to have babies?”

      “Obviously not”, I replied staring at my empty hands.

      “Wow, that’s great! You will make an excellent father”, Mikko rejoiced and grabbed me in his arms.

      “I guess I will”, I mumbled into his shoulder trying to understand the turn my life had just taken.

       “I will have to call Anna”, I suddenly decided and started to put my clothes on in a hurry. “Thanks for the night” I called Mikko as I shut the door and hurried back to my own room. The house was very quiet. Everybody was still fast asleep after staying up late last night. I closed the door quietly behind me, took a deep breath and selected Anna’s home number.

      “Just got your message”, was all I could say before tears started to flow down my cheeks. 

      “Are you crying?” Anna asked sounding worried when all she could hear was my sobbing on the phone.

      “Yes, I just realized how happy I am”, I finally managed to whisper to her with a shaky voice. “I wish I could hold you right now, but I guess I will have to settle with the guys here”, I tried to joke and hold back my tears that wouldn’t stop no matter how hard I tried.

      “Please calm down, you fool”, Anna retorted me with love in her voice. “I wish I could hold you too – or we wish”, she added as if she had just realized that there were two of them now.

      “How are you feeling?” I asked after I had done as Anna ordered and calmed down a bit.

      “I’m fine mostly, but the mornings start to be a bit difficult”, she replied and sighed. Nausea in the morning wasn’t the best way to start the day.

      “What will happen next?” I asked curious about how things would proceed from now on.

      “I will go to a maternity clinic to confirm the pregnancy. By the way, have you told anything to the guys yet?”

      “Yes, I told Eicca couple of days ago and Mikko this morning. He was around when I got your message.”

      “I see… ”, Anna remarked, but didn’t ask anything more. “How did they take it?”

      “They both were very supportive. They think I will make a good father.”

      “I know you will”, Anna assured me. I could hear that she was smiling. “But you must remember that at my age there’s a big risk of miscarriage”, she continued after a short pause. “The first three months are critical.”

      “Please don’t worry about that now. I’m sure everything goes well”, I tried to convince her although I felt a sting of fear myself too. “Can I tell Paavo and Franky now?” I asked wanting to change the subject.

      “Of course you can, and send them my love. I’m waiting you all to come back home.”

      After I had finished the call I had to sit a while on my bed to let the facts sink into my consciousness. Anna was carrying my child – that was a miracle if anything. What kind of person would he or she be? Would the child be a goofy artist type like me or a practical, orderly person like Anna or something completely different? My thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. It was Mikko who had become concerned when I didn’t come out of my room.

      “Is everything okay?” he asked carefully and peeked in. Mikko’s question finally stirred me out of my reverie and I rushed into his arms whirling him around like he was a ragdoll.

      “Yes, everything is more than okay. I’m so happy about this!”

      “What’s going on here?” I heard Eicca’s sleepy voice behind Mikko. I let Mikko go and attacked him instead.

      “It’s true! We are going to have a baby”, I announced and planted a big wet kiss on his forehead. Franky, who looked even sleepier than Eicca and had his hair all messed up, was my next victim. I kissed him too before I had time to explain what for.

      “Did I deserve that?” Franky asked looking stupefied by my behaviour.

      “Yes, you did. You may congratulate me for becoming a father.”

      “Okay, now I understand”, he smiled and almost crushed my bones while hugging me with his strong arms. I’d have to be careful with Paavo and his bear hug….


	3. A walk with Franky

## A walk with Franky (3)

      When the enthusiasm about my coming fatherhood had quieted down a bit, we continued our work with the album as planned. Mikko had things to do with a couple of missing drum sequences and Franky had to rehearse his vocals. The rest of us were still working with our cello sequences.

      I was surprised when Franky tugged me in the sleeve after our short lunch break and wanted to talk with me. We decided to take a walk outside as the weather was decent and we both needed some fresh air after spending several hours in the studio.

      “I’m very sorry that I messed up your relationship with Eicca. I had no idea that you two had such a longstanding and deep liaison before Eicca told me last night”, Franky apologized and gazed me with his dark brown puppy eyes. He had his hands tugged deep in his pockets and the cool autumn wind was ruffling his hair making it even messier than it already was. His apology felt really sincere.

      “Yeah, we have a long and sometimes stormy history behind us as bandmates, friends and also as lovers… But I hope things will be better from now on… ”, I replied carefully.

      “My story with Eicca is over, I can promise you that. I don’t want to be known as the guy who endangered Apocalyptica’s future in any way. Trust me”, Franky assured me.

      “I trust you”, I promised and gave the man a warm hug. He returned my hug looking slightly awkward. He clearly wasn’t used to my erratic behaviour, when it came to kissing and hugging.

      “Congratulations for the baby. Being a father is great. My daughter is already a teenager.”

      “I’ve seen some of her photos. With those looks you will be a grandfather in no time”, I teased Franky. He smiled and pushed a strand of dark hair from his face.

     “That’s an interesting thought. I will have to be prepared…”, he muttered almost to himself.

      “Anna seems to be a very efficient woman in the office”, he suddenly continued changing the subject.

      “Well, Anna is much more than she seems to be. This is actually her year off. She’s working for us a temporary assistant but in real life she’s a technology expert. She’s working as a top-level manager in a high-tech company owned by Japanese”, I explained feeling proud of my woman.

      “Really?  Eicca didn’t tell me anything about that. Your kid has then top genes.”

      “I hope the baby takes to the mother rather than to me. Being a musician isn’t easy.”

      “I heard you’re composing an opera together with Eicca”, Franky changed the subject once more. “I couldn’t even dream about doing something like that.”

      “Well, those things were part of our education in Sibelius Academy and I grew up literally surrounded by opera. My father is a cellist too and he took me to Savonlinna opera festival every summer when I was a kid. So I became an opera enthusiast very early in my life. This opera project is a natural continuation to what we have done lately.”

      Paavo interrupted our rather haphazard discussion by appearing suddenly on the forest path in front of us. “Can I join you? You two look far too serious on a fine day like this.” He had obviously been on a walk too with his camera, honing his photographer skills.

      “Sure, why don’t you take a photo of us”, I proposed and hauled Franky beside me. Franky grinned and laid his arm on my shoulder as a sign of our newly found brotherhood. Paavo snapped several photos of us. They would probably end up on our Instagram pages that we used to keep our fans up to date of our album making.

      “There you are! I was wondering where everybody had vanished after the lunch”, Eicca said and shot a questioning look at me when I arrived back to the studio with Franky and Paavo. He probably hadn’t expected that Franky would confront me directly after everything that had happened.

     “Franky wanted to talk with me and we both needed some fresh air to get our brain working again. We found Paavo wondering alone in the forest so we saved him and brought him back home”, I explained with serious face to Eicca. Paavo rolled his eyes and vanished into his room shaking his head. He knew I couldn’t be trusted.

      Before starting my afternoon rehearsal I gave Anna a call to ask how she was doing. After she had convinced me that everything was okay I told her about my discussion with Franky. Anna was relieved to hear that Franky’s love affair with Eicca was over, but she was worried about Patrik.

       “Do you know anything about their relationship?” she asked sounding very concerned

      “Not very much. Eicca is very reluctant to talk about him. I asked Eicca about his pendant that had vanished mystically and he told me that he had given it to Patrik, because he needed it more than Eicca did. That was all I could get out of him… “

      “I’m sorry. There’s someone at the door. Can we talk later?” Anna interrupted me.

      “Sure, I will call you again tomorrow”, I said feeling slightly surprised about Anna’s tone. She hadn’t said anything about expecting visitors.

      I had an uneasy feeling after the call. I hadn’t worried about Eicca and Patrik until now, but something in Anna’s words made me concerned. Eicca had promised not to leave me, but even thinking about that possibility made my skin crawl. I didn’t want to experience a pain like that ever again. Was there anything I could do to prevent that from happening?


	4. Shadowmaker

## Shadowmaker (4)

      The last whole week of our recording session in Nashville was at hand. Piece by piece we had completed a huge pile of work that had seemed almost unsurmountable at the beginning. This process had moulded us into a new kind of team, a team that we had never had before. Franky was now our fifth member and an essential part of Apocalyptica. We felt that we had created something great and were proud of that. Our album needed a name that would describe its mood and the process through which it had been created: we decided to call it Shadowmaker.

        For me the process had been painful but now I was happy. I had got my man back and I was going to have a baby. Everything would have been perfect if I didn’t have to worry about Patrik. But every day I had to watch how Eicca kept an eye over his phone and waited for his messages. He grew impatient and grumpy if a day passed without hearing anything from Patrik.

      In the middle of the week Eicca snapped at me when I arrived a little late to the studio. I lost my temper. “What the hell is a matter with you? You’re like a grizzly bear shot in the ass. Has Patrik cheated on you or what’s the problem?” The last part of my question slipped out by accident. It was so obvious what was the reason of his bad humour.

      “That’s none of your business! Leave Patrik out of this!” Eicca barked just when his phone rang. He turned on his heels and marched out of the studio to take the call in private.

      I was left there feeling like a fool. His behaviour hurt me and brought back the memories of our first Nashville visit. Tears flooded my eyes and I had to wipe them away with my hand. Mikko, who knew my pain deeper than anybody else, walked over and took me in his arms. “Please don’t cry. We all have been too long away from home.”

      That was more than true. I missed Anna so much that it caused almost physical pain and Eicca missed his family and Patrik. The six weeks of hard work was starting to take its toll on all of us. We would still have to travel to Europe to play in Amsterdam Cello biennale and return back to US to complete our work.  We should invest all our energy in finalizing Shadowmaker and not in this stupid fighting.

       When Eicca returned into the studio, I went to him to apologize for my stupid behaviour. “I know Patrik is not my business. I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry. That won’t happen again.”

      “That’s alright. I was a bit edgy myself. Patrik was in a job interview and he thinks everything went fine. There’s a good chance that he will get the job. It’s by the way the same company that Anna works for. They are interested in his Japanese skills.

      “I didn’t know that he had studied Japanese”, I commented wondering about the strange coincidence that Anna also studied the same language.

      “I think Kirsi mentioned that Patrik and Anna are studying on the same course”, Eicca added and tapped my shoulder. “Let’s get to work before Shadowmaker gets the better of us!”


End file.
